Extensible bracelet clasp



Segph, 1938. J. DALO EXTENSIBLE BRACELET CLASP Filed Aug. 5o, 1935y ff f: l CDN.

Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES' 2,129,513y f EX'rENsiLE BRACELET'oLAsP John Dalo, Providence, R. I.',;a"ssignor to A and Z Chain Company,Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode Island Application August 30,

7 Claims'.

This invention relates to clasps and more particularly to extensibleclasps for connecting the ends of watch-bracelets or the like.

One of the objects of the invention is to pro--v 5 vide a clasp of thetype indicated which may be manually contracted to adjust the length ofthe bracelet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clasp of the typeindicated which will yield to permit a limited expansion and contractionin its adjusted relationship to hold the bracelet snugly on the wrist ofthe wearer. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a clasp of the typeindicated includingl foldable members for extending the length of thebracelet, to permit it to be passed over the hand, and then collapsed totightenthe bracelet around the wrist.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a clasp of the typeindicated which is neat and ornamental in appearance, of a compact andsimple structure permitting economical manufacture and assembly; and onewhich is positive in its operation to latch the parts in adjustedrelationship.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the followingdescription of onev form of the invention as illustrated intheaccompanying drawing. It is to be understood, however, that the drawingis for purposes of -illustration only and. not a definition of thelimits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to theappended claims. In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan View of a two-part bracelet connected by the extensibleclasp forming the subject-matter of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the clasp showing its pivotedsections in extended relationship and illustrating the manner in whichthe sections are folded into overlying relationship;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the clasp showing its sections in extendedrelationship;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of the clasp taken on line 4-4of Fig. 2 and'showing the means for latching the extensible slide in itsinnermost contracted relationship with respect to the foldable members;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the slide extended to itsoutermostposition with its controlling spring compressed;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1 andshowing the projecting lug for releasing the latching means;

Fig. '7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 taken on line ..1--1 of Fig. 1 andshowing the spring for yield- 1935-, seriarN. 38,594 v (onze-71) inglyholding the slide in adjusted relationship V with respect to thefoldable members;

. Flg.8 is a detail perspective View of the rackbar, mounted on theslide;

Fig. 9, is1a detailed perspective View of the extensible slide; ,and

Fig.. 10'is a detailed perspective View of the pawl. for latchingengagement with the rack-bar. Referring now to Fig.,l of the drawing,the clasp member II) forming the subject-matter of the presentapplication is shown as connecting theends of the sections II and I2 ofa `two-part bracelet.. The bracelet sections as illustrated comprise apluralityof flexibly connected links having terminal connectors I3 attheir outer ends for attachment to the bails of a wrist-watch, notshown,l but it is to be understood that any other prevailing mode`ofbracelet may be substituted, such as fabric, leather, mesh or thelike and that the terminal connectors I3 may take other forms.

Thefpreferred illustrated embodiment of the extensible Lclasp Ill iscomprised of a plurality of foldable sections including a body member orhousing I4, a pairof cooperating slidable members` y I5'and I6 forming aconnecting link, and an end section I'I.A The body member. or housing I4is in the form vof a plate I8, preferably of sheetmetal, Vcurvedlongitudinally throughout its length` to conform to the contour of thewrist. The plate I8 has opposite side portions I9 and 2|] foldeddownwardly and inwardly with their edges 2| and `22 terminating inparallel spaced-apart relationship, see Figs. 6 and 7. The plate. I8,togetherwith the folded sides` I9 and 20, providelongitudinallyfextending channels 24 and 25 at the opposite vsides `ofthe body member. `At one end the plate portion I8 `extenclsbeyond thefolded sides I9 andZIl and is bent to form a closed loop 26, while theopposite end of the plate portion I8 is rounded-as at 21, see Fig. l, toprovide a ngerI-piece ,for 'prying the clasp open. A pivot-pin 28extends between the folded sides I9 and 20 of the plate I8 at the end ofthe body member I4 adjacent the finger-piece 2l.

The member I5 forming one part of the connecting link Iis of rectangularshape with a cen--k trally-depressed groove 32 extending throughouttliegreater portion of its length and forming side rails 33 and 34. .Themember I5 is pivotally connected to .thebody member I4 by a loop 35 atits end embracing thepivot-pin 28 and the si-de rails 33 and 34 areadapted to slide in lateral channels 3B and 31 of usual construction inthe linkwmember IB. vfl'lrle relative sliding movement of. the membersI5 and I6 is limited by the engagement of a detent 38 on the member I6with the opposite ends of the groove 32 in the member I5 into which thedetent projects. At its outer end the member I6 is provided with a loop46 for pivotal connection with the end section I'I of the clasp.

The end section II comprises a base plate 4| with its opposite sides 42and 43 folded upwardly to provide projecting flanges. A pin 44 extendsbetween the side anges 42 and 43 at one end of the section and isembraced by the loop on the link member I6 for pivotal connectiontherewith. The width of the end section I'I is substantially equal tothe spacing between the parallel edges 2| and 22 of the body member orhousing I4 and the flanges 42 and 43 on the section have detents 45 forcooperation with these edges. The opposite end of the end section II hasa loop 46 for embracing the end link of the bracelet section I2 toprovide a flexible connection therewith. As thus far described the claspis not materially .different from those heretofore used, the linkmembers I5 and I6 being adapted to telescope one into the other andtogether with the end section I'I to fold into the body member orhousing I4 in overlying relationship in the manner shown by dash linesin Fig. 2; the link members and end section being curved throughouttheir length to conform to the longitudinal curvature of the bodymember. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the link members I5 and I6 lie whollybetween the flanges 42 and 43 on the end section I 'I and the flangeslie wholly between the terminal edges 2| and 22 of the folded sides ofthe body member I4. The folded sections are latched together by theengagement of the detents 45 on the side flanges 42 and 43 of the endsection I'I with the edges 2| and 22 of the folded sides I9 and 26 ofthe body member I4. To maintain the connecting link and end sectionproperly positioned in the body member or housing I4 a projecting lug4'I formed on the link member I6 engages the plate I8.

The present invention is directed particularly to the adjustablefeatures of the clasp for manually contracting its length and forproviding a resilient yielding action to permit limited expansion andcontraction in its length when the parts are in adjusted relationship.To this end a slide 50 in the form of a hollow rectangular frame, shownin inverted position in Fig. 9, is mounted in the body member I4 forrelative longitudinal movement with respect thereto. The slide 50 ispreferably formed by a plate of sheet-metal having its sides 5I and 52folded downwardly and then inwardly to provide channels 53 and 54adapted to nest in the channels 24 and 25 of the body member I4 with aclose sliding t. The central portion of the slide 50 is cut away betweenthe channels 53 and 54 and throughout the greater portion of its length,thus forming crossbars 55 and 56 at its opposite ends. The crossbar 55is flexibly connected to the end link of the bracelet section I I by anysuitable means such as the looped band 5I shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At therearward end of the slide 50 adjacent the crossbar 56 the end of thefolded side portion 5| is slotted in bifurcated form as shown in Fig. 9and thereafter bent at right-angles toward the crossbar 56 to provide abearing 58, see Fig. 4. At its forward end the folded bottom portion ofthe channel 54 is formed with a longitudinal slot 59.

One-way latching means are provided which permit the slide 50. to bemoved into contracted relationship with respect to the body member I4 toadjust the length of the bracelet while acting to hold the slide in itsadjusted position. The latching means includes a member 6U carried bythe slide 50 and movable thereon to provide a limited expansion andcontraction of the clasp. Although the latching member 6I) may be eithera pawl or a toothed rack, in the present illustrated embodiment it is inthe form of a rack-bar shown in detail in Fig. 8. The rack-bar 6|) ismounted for sliding movement in the channel 54 of the slide 50 by meansof an extension rod 6| formed integrally therewith with its endprojecting rearwardly through the bearing 58 and with a lug 62 at itsforward end projecting through the slot 59. The rack-bar 60 is providedwith a series of teeth 63 which project inwardly toward the open centerof the slide 58. Each of the teeth 63 has one side 64 inclined inwardlyand forwardly toward the crossbar 55 and its opposite side 65 parallelwith the crossbar.

The rack-bar 60 is yieldingly held in a forward position with respect tothe slide 50, as shown in Figpll, by a helical compression spring 66surrounding the rod 6| and acting between an abutment 61 on the bar andthe bearing 58 on the slide through which the rod extends. The forwardmovement of the rack-bar 60 with respect to the slide 50 is limited bythe engagement of the lug 62 with the end of the slot 59 and the outwardmovement of the slide 50 is limited by a lug 69 projecting inwardly fromthe abutment 61 on the' rack-bar and engaging the bearing housing 26 atthe forward end of the body member I4, see Fig. 5.

The latching means also includes a yielding pawl 10 shown in detail inFig. 10 for cooperation with the teeth 63 on the rack-bar 6I) to latchthe slide 50 against outward movement with respect to the body member I4while permitting the parts to be contracted to adjust the length of thebracelet. The pawl 'I0 is in the form of an L-shaped spring having oneend II rigidly fixed to the side wall 20 of the body member I4 andextending forwardly within the channel 53 in the slide 50. The oppositeend 'I2 of the leafspring is bent at substantially right-angles andextends through the hollow bearing 26 formed by the loop 26 at theforward end of the body member I4. The end 'I3 ofthe bent portion I2which cooperates with the teeth 63 on the rack-bar 60 has an angularface corresponding with the angle of the inclined side 64 of the teeth.The bent end portion I2 of the latching member III is provided with aforwardly-projecting lug 'I4 which extends through a slot 'I5 in thebearing 26 and upwardly to a position adjacent the top of the bodymember I4. The end of the lug is preferably serrated as at 'I6 tofacilitate its engagement by the finger to move the pawl out ofengagement with the teeth 63 of the rack-bar 60 to release the slide 50.The mode of operation of when complete clasp is as next explained. v

With the foldable sections I4, I5, I6 and II of the clasp in extendedrelationship as illustrated in Figs 2 and 3 and with the slide 5|)withdrawn from the housing I4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, thebracelet sections I I and I2 connecting a watch or like article ofjewelry are passed vover the hand of the wearer. The clasp is thencollapsed by first sliding the member I5 telescopically into the memberI 6 and folding the sections I4, I6 and I'I in the manner illustrated inFig. 2. The end section II is then pressed into the body member orhousing I4 to cause the detents 45 to snap bythefspaced-edges2Iand12121- to latch the parts in folded relationship.Inthis'ffolded' aser sembly the projecting lug 41 on the sectionA I6vengages against the plateportion I8. of the body member I4, see Fig.7.' The lug 41 together with the pivot-pin 28 holdxtheintermediatelinkmem-- ber I6 spaced fromthe plate I8 so that the slide-50 may move freely in the body member I4.y i

The slide 5l] is then telescopedinto-thebody member I4 to contract Vtheclasptovadjust thelength of the bracelettoi conform 'to the wrist. Thetwo parts are moved into contracted relationship by manually pressingthe endrof the slide 50 and the opposite endof the-body member I4between the fingers. Duringt this inward movement of the slide SI1-,withrespectto the body member I4 the latching end 13of-theyie1ding of one ofthe teeth 63 rontherack-bar 60 is er1-v gaged by thecorrespondingly-shapedside ofthe end 13 of the pawl 10`tolatchthe-rack-bar 60.' in adjusted relationship with respect tothebody member I4.

'I'he slide 5U may then have a limited expansion and contraction toconform to the flexing of the wrist due to the yielding of the spring 66which acts between the abutment 61 on the rack-bar and the lug 58 on theslide 50. As the slide 50 is drawn out of the body member I4y it moveswith respect to the rack-bar 60 against the compression of the spring 66and has a range of movement as indicated in Fig. 5. vWhen the slide 50is released the spring 66 acts between the abutment 61 on the rack-bar6U and the bearing lug 58 on the slide to draw the latter into the bodymember I4, this movement being limited by the engagement of the lug 62on the rack-bar with the end of the slot 59. In this manner the slide 50is yieldable with respect to the rack-bar 60 and body member I4 to whichit is latched to adapt the length of the bracelet to be automaticallyadjusted within definite limits.

When the bracelet is to be removed from the wrist the finger-nail isinserted under the lip 21 on the body member I4 to pry it awayfrom theend section I1. The sections of the clasp may then be extended to thepositions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and the bracelet removed over the hand.When again applied to the wrist and collapsed f the clasp will beproperly adjusted to fit the wrist due to the latching engagement of thepawl 10 with the rack-bar 60. In other words, when once adjusted theclasp will retain its adjustment even though the folded sections areextended. If however, the bracelet is found to be too tight or for anyother reason it is desired to extend the length of the clasp thelatching end 13 of the pawl 10 may be moved away from the teeth 63 onthe rack-bar 60 to release the slide 50. To accomplish this result theserrated end 16 of the projecting lug 14 o-n the pawl is engaged by thefinger and slid to the right as viewed in Fig. 6. The slide 50 may thenbe freely withdrawn from the body member I4 having a range o-fadjustment from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5;the inwardly-directed lug 69 engaging the bearing 26 on the body memberI4 to limitits outward movement. The length of the bracelet can then bereadjusted in the manner as previously explained by moving the slide 50into contracted relationship with the body member I4, this adjustmentbeing permitted by the sliding ofr the'teeth on therack-bar. overtheinclined end of the pawl. j y' I I wAlthoughA the sections. ofthe clasphave. been described fas? preferably Jmade of)` sheet-metal.;

folded or bent to* shapeffit is to be understood that they may be madeof any other suitable man--v I4 andthe slide 50 and still be within thescope:

ofthe present invention.

l, Having now described the invention it will be observed .that animproved clasp is provided having-'a Vsimple and compact structure foryieldingly holding a bracelet in adjusted position. It will also beapparent that the clasp provides for man` ually contracting a pair ofsliding members intov adjusted relationship While adapting them to befreely movable' inwardly and automaticallyextended under the control ofresilient means.

Althoughfonly one- ,embodiment of the invention .is herein shown anddescribed it is noted that variations maybe made in the form and ar'`rangement? of the-parts within the spirit and scopefof thezinvention.Therefore, without limitingy 'myselffin this respect, I :claim:

1. An extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a plurality of foldablemembers, a slide on one of the foldable members having oppositelydisposed channels at its sides, a ratchet means in one of the channelson the slide, a spring carried by the cooperating foldable member andlying in the channel at the opposite side of the slide, said springbeing formed with a pawl to yieldingly engage the ratchet, and means onthe spring projecting from the end of the foldable member for releasingsaid spring from engagement with the ratchet to release the slide.

2. An extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a plurality of membersadapted to be folded into overlying relationship with an openingtherebetween, a slide between the folded members, a rack-bar on theslide and movable longitudinally thereof, a pawl having one end xed toone of the folded members and its opposite end yieldingly engaging therack-bar, said pawl and rack-bar having inclined teeth for permittingthe slide to be telescoped into the folded members, a spring between therack-bar and slide for yieldingly holding the latter in adjustedposition, and a. finger-grip on the pawl for manually moving it out ofengagement with the rack-bar to release the slide.

3. An extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a plurality of membersadapted to be folded into overlying relationship with an openingtherebetween, a slide in the opening between the folded members foradjusting the length of the clasp, said slide having a channel at oneside, a rack-bar slidably mounted in the channel in the slide, a springin the channel acting between the rackbar and slide, and a latchingmember on one of the foldable members arranged to cooperate with theteeth on the rack-bar to hold the slide in adjusted position withrespect to the folded members.

4. In a device of the type indicated, a clasp member having inturnedflanges at its sides to provide spaced channels, a slide in the claspmember having channels at its sides nested in the channels on the claspmember, a rack-bar in the channel at one side of the slide, guidingmeans in the channel for mounting the rack-bar for movement therein, aspring acting between the slide and the rack-bar, and a resilient pawlon the clasp member for cooperation with the rackbar, the end of thepawl and the teeth onthe rack-bar being formed to adapt their sides toslide past each other when the slide is moved into the clasp member andto latch against movement in the opposite direction, and a projection onthe pawl for moving it away from the rackbar to release the slide.

: 5. An extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a pair of membersconnected to slide relatively of each other, said members being adaptedto connect the opposite ends of a bracelet, a toothed ratchet on one ofthe slidable members, a yielding pawl on the other member having aninclined portion adapted to slide past the teeth on the ratchet in onedirection and to interlock therewith to prevent its movement in theopposite direction. and a spring connectingy the ratchet and the memberon which it is, mounted to provide a limited relative movementtherebetween.

6. In an extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a pair of membersconnected to slide relatively of each other, said members being adaptedto connect the opposite ends of a bracelet, a ratchet mounted on one ofthe sliding members and movable longitudinally thereof, a resilient pawlon the other memberv cooperating with the ratchet, said pawl beingslidable along the ratchet as the membersare slid into contractedrelationship and interlocking to resist extension movement of themembers, and a spring between the ratchet and member on which it ismounted adapted to yield to provide a limited relative movementtherebetween.

7. An extensible clasp for bracelets comprising a pair of membersconnected to slide one with respect to the other, said members beingadapted to connect the opposite ends of a bracelet, a ratchet mounted onone of the members and movable longitudinally thereof, a resilient pawlon the opposite .member inclined with respect to the ratchet andengageable therewith, said pawl being adapted to slide along the ratchetas the members are slid into contracted relationship and interlocking toholdthe members in adjusted relationship, a spring between the ratchetand member on which it is mounted, said spring adapted to yield toprovide limited extension movement between the sliding members, and afinger grip on the pawl for manually releasing it from the ratchet.

JOHN DALO.

